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When Nekomi met the Tanuki eye to eye, the rain stopped and suddenly it started to heat up. Shukaku growled "Human! You have no business here! Leave!"
Nekomi had to brace herself from flying back. She was still pushed back a few feet by the wind the demon blew her way when he shouted at her. She scowled back up at the ichibi. She said "I will tell you my business here. It is to help my son! Where is he?" Nekomi frowned. A mental image of Gaara should be around here somewhere in his mind. If there wasn't...things might be too bad for her to fix. She looked around and in relief, she saw a small form in the corner. "Gaara!"
When the boy turned to her, she could see how clearly how battered he was. He was a mess and tears streamed down his face. He looked utterly terrified. She could see him shaking in his hunched position and it made her heart clench. She reached out, but the sand cut her off. Nekomi scowled deeper and she snarled "Tanuki!" She ran towards the demon, dodging sand spikes and the wind as best as possible. She flew through handsigns, only pausing to strike the air around Shukaku as she dodged. She snarled "Ori no seishou!"
Suddenly a box of dark green energy appeared around the ichibi. Nekomi clutched her bleeding arm and side. Shukaku howled "Damn human! Let me out of here! You can't contain me!"
Nekomi ran over to the crying Gaara and hugged him tightly "Gaara-chan!"
"Kaasan!" Gaara hugged her back, still scared. He gripped tighter and cried "Don't leave! He'll get out again!"
Nekomi answered "I have to go now, I'll come back in in a little bit, ok?" When Gaara loosened his grip, Nekomi left. Outside, Nekomi flew through hundreds of handsigns. Her hands glowed a dark green with black energy at her fingertips taking the shape of kanji.
"Kaasan! What are you doing?!" Naruto cried. His cry woke up everyone else, except Gaara, who was in a state of semi-consciousness.
Nekomi ordered "Naruto, take off your brother's shirt."
"Why?"
"Do it now!" Naruto yelped and did it. Nekomi struck Gaara's stomach with her right hand and he convulsed. Nekomi held him down until he stopped and then did a few more handsigns and spread her fingers wide and struck Gaara again, this time with her left hand. Then a black circle appeared with five kanji outside of it. Nekomi thought 'The cage is made, the seals are on it. Now, I just have to shut him in there. For that I must go back in.'
Zabuza asked "What are you doing?!"
"Fixing the seal!" She went back in and Zabuza caught her as she fell. As he did, he felt himself pulled away as well.
He opened his eyes to find himself in a dark, hot place with Nekomi a few feet in front of him and across from them both a racoon demon caged by energy. 'Is this what's in that boy? Where am I?' He looked at Nekomi, but she didn't seem to notice him.
Shukaku roared "You will not seal me in, human! No human can restrain me!"
Nekomi smirked "Tell that to the Kyuubi, Ichibi," She taunted.
Shukaku howled and Zabuza was thrown back. Nekomi finally noticed him and yelled, to be heard over Shukaku, "How did you get here?"
Zabuza yelled back "I got pulled in!"
"You aren't trained in this! Get out!"
Zabuza stressmarked "I don't know how!"
Nekomi was frustrated. Zabuza wouldn't be much of a help in here. She said "Try to dodge and take as little damage as possible then and I'll take you out when I'm done."
"Done with what?"
"Putting Shukaku into his cage."
Zabuza looked at her in disbelief "You think you can..."
Nekomi turned back towards him and hissed "Do not doubt me!" She turned to the Ichibi and said "Those who underestimate me die, demon!" She exerted her will and killer intent to push the tanuki back into the cage.
The killer intent was the greatest that Zabuza had ever felt. It almost imobilized him. He could barely breath, however it didn't seem to have the same effect on the demon.
Shukakau growled "Puny human! I am a demon! I am not afraid of you!"
Nekomi saw he was afraid though. She smirked, then saw Zabuza suffering from the effects of her killer intent. "Snap out of it, Zabuza. It's only going to get worse and I can't spare the concentration to let you out right now!" She sent her focus back to pushing the demon back. She muttered "Kaze..." She gathered wind around her and she began to rise. Her hair began to float and her clothes began to whip about. She sent the full force of it at the tanuki who was now franctically trying to break out of the holding cage.
Just as the blast was about to hit, he roared and broke free. He countered her blast with a blast of his own. "Damn it!" Nekomi thought fast. She wouldn't be able to contain him like she had before. He wouldn't let her get close again. He had power here. Maybe in the physical world, she could have done something, but it was all about the force of will here, really, and she could feel the demon loosing his fear of her. She wouldn't be able to influence him by herself, but there was another person who had control here. Gaara. "Gaara!"
Suddenly the boy was in her arms, shaking "Put him in a box again!"
"I can't."
Gaara's voice shook "W..What?"
Nekomi said gently "You have to do it this time."
Gaara shook his head fiercely "No! I can't!" He tried to shrink in on himself.
Nekomi took his shoulders and said "You have to. I'll help you. You can do it!"
"I can't..."
Nekomi held up his chin so he would look at her "Yes, you can. You're strong."
"No I'm not." He tried to look away, with tears in his eyes.
Nekomi wouldn't let him. She cried "Yes, you are! I believe in you, Gaara!" Gaara gasped. No one had ever said that to him before. Nekomi continued "I know you cando this. This is YOUR mind. YOU have powere here. More than any of the rest of us, including Shukaku."
"But..."
Nekomi started "He can't..." Suddenly Shukaku struck Nekomi with another blast. She got in front of Gaara to shield him. She grunted when it hit. It had small spikes in it this time.
"Kaasan!"
"Gaara, he can't kill you!" She coughed blood at the next attack the tanuki sent. It had bigger spikes than before. She coughed "He'll die if he kills you. Don't let him hurt you anymore. Put him in his cage!" Nekomi pushed down the pain so she could stay standing to protect Gaara from the next attack. She couldn't take much more of this.
Gaara looked at her. He was still terrified, but now half the fear was of loosing his kaasan. He whispered "What do I do?"
Nekomi whispered back "See the cage?" Gaara nodded. Nekomi's body shook as she suppressed another cough. "You have to make him go in it."
"How?" Gaara asked.
"Imagine it and it will be."
"I can't."
"Yes you can! You just have to calm down." Nekomi couldn't take it any longer and she fell over. The tanuki took this moment to strike.
"Kaasan! No!" Gaara shook and a field formed around him. He looked at the demon "You hurt my kaasan."
Shukaku grew nervous. The boy had never stood up to him before and he did have the ability to imprision him in the cage. He couldn't kill him without dieing, that's why he had resorted to scaring him all this time. Maybe it was time to change tactics. He cackled, then said in a calmer voice that almost sounded human "Gaara."
Gaara frowned "You hurt my kaasan. You're bad! Go away!" Gaara closed his eyes and thought as hard as he could about putting the ichibi into the cage. Shukaku felt himself being pushed back "No!" he said "No, Gaara, I'm your real mother. Remember how I've protected you?!"
Gaara paused, then said "No. No! The person you hurt is my mother! She showed she loves me. You only hurt people!"
"To protect you."
Gaara cried "You're a liar!"
Shukaku cried "You would have died if I hadn't protected you!"
Gaara paused again and looked at Nekomi. She looked up at him. She had heard the whole conversation with the demon. She said "Trust your heart, Gaara. I trust you. I love you...my son." She fell back down onto her stomach, not able to support herself at all anymore. She was starting to fade.
Gaara looked with tearing eyes at his mother, then with angry ones at the racoon. He cried "She is my mother! Even though she just me me, she shows me love, something you never have! You want me to kill! You don't love me! You are not my mother! Go to your cage!" Gaara pushed with all his strength and the tanuki was shoved into the cage, wailing. Then the door shut with a clang and several seals on the cage flared up then revealed themselves as black kanji on the notes attached to the bars.
Zabuza was the first to wake up.He felt a heavy weight on him and he groaned as he opened his eyes. His legs felt like they were in pieces. They had been broken in that place and he had been cut up, but he didn't see any blood now. He looked down. Nekomi and Gaara were on top of him. Nekomi stirred next. She groaned and said in a voice barely above a whisper "Phantom pain...Ow...It'll take a day of meditation to get rid of this..." She saw Gaara who had collapsed into her lap waking up. She smiled, then she noticed she wasn't flat on the floor. She turned and saw Zabuza behind her. They locked eyes and blushed. Nekomi got off and scooted a little away, to give him room.
Naruto cried "What happened?"
Nekomi said "I just fixed your brother's seal. It's ok now. We should all get back to sleep. We've got a big day tomorrow."
Zabuza asked, incredulous, "Don't tell me you're still going to the cliffs tomorrow?!"
Nekomi said "Yep, so let's go back to sleep."
"You can't be serious."
Nekomi said, tiredly, "Do you doubt me?" She looked him in the eyes.
That shocked Zabuza, remembering the last time he had heard that. He had never seen someone so strong. He smiled "No, I don't. Not anymore."
Haku asked "What happened?"
Zabuza said "I'll explain later. Let's get some more sleep. We've got a busy day tomorrow."
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So, RandR and I'll catch you guys later. Sorry again that it's been a while since I've updated.